Question about side drilled overflow

Ok so I came across a nice little acrylic tank on the side of the road in good shape couldn't pass it up but anyway I'm going to drill it I was originally going to drill the bottom but decided that would use too much real estate it's only like a 25 gallon. So I decided I'm going to drill the side and build a overflow box for it now the problem I'm coming across is what type of piping should I use I have been scouring the Internet for days trying to find a good option. Anyway my dilemma is can you do like a herbie style coming off the side or what are the downfalls of just getting a bulkhead and just having a hole in the side that's a drain with a valve to control the flow? I plan on running a large sump and this mostly just a frag tank since I have some extra kessils just laying around and enough equipment to probably build two more tanks lol so I can use a large return like a mag5 or 7 I'm not necessarily worried about noise I already have two tanks in my room feet from my bed so I'm not concerned with that but is there a reason people don't just drill a hole and seal with bulkhead when it comes to the side of the tank. Or if it's not recommended to drill just a hole what style would be better coming from the side of the tank?

 

Hi there,
Some people simply drill 1 or 2 holes, put a strainer of it and be done with it.- Poor idea and way to do it IMHO.
If you study or have studied the various systems for this, I would think the most ideal/least likely to overflow is a 3 drain style- aka Bean Animal.
Another option, is a 2 drain style- aka Herbie style- what I currently use.

The possibilites are endless as far as box on the inside,outside, inside and outside, etc.

IMHO, the most ideal for you, where space and function are a concern, is a coast to coast overflow- thin one- then draining thru 2 holes drilled in the side of the tank, to a box on back with a 3 drain-BA style system.

The piping is EASY- use all PVC piping, cheap, easy to cut and fit, etc. I use a hack saw to cut mine.

Good luck on the new find

 

Ya I have looked into the herbie and beanimal systems but it's a hex so that's the issue with space and I'm going to build the overflow box out of lexan and krylon fusion (which I heard is reef safe paint) and want it relatively small I could do the beanimal system it would just be tight with three bulkheads so I was considering either a herbie or a durso style, now what are the drawbacks of just a single durso? I also considered setting up two durso but one turned up for better surface skimming and fail safe for if I have main fail. At the same time though if I'm doing two I mine as well go with the herbie style correct? And if I go with the herbie will it still function the same if I have the two pipes with a 90 degree since I am coming from the side. Sorry for all the questions I have always ran hob overflows and never drilled a tank because they have all been glass and filled with inhabitants.

 

The acrylic tank doesn't have a functional trim around the top right? You should look into an external coast to coast overflow. Basically, you'd cut slits at the top of one side and attach an overflow on the back, then have the pipes coming up through the bottom of the overflow so they don't make the tank stick out from the wall even further. You can do something similar with glass and a stealth style overflow too, which is what I'm looking into for my next setup. You just have to make sure the overflow won't leak and has enough support for the water weight.

 

http://www.glassreef.com/basics_overflow.php

 

It does have the acrylic on the top also but I can cut it out with relative ease I have never done any acrylic bonding but I guess it doesn't have to hold that much weight so I don't see it being that difficult. Would it be easier to try to bend the acrylic with heat or just cut it into sheets and bond it together?

 

Thank you for the link Vinnyboombatz.